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SINGAPORE: The Health Ministry appears to have changed its stand on aesthetic treatments and what procedures can be performed.
It now says it will leave the regulation of the industry to professional bodies, while it turns its attention to the safety of patients instead.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said there is a lot of "grey area" in the industry and it is "not possible" for the Ministry to stop doctors from performing aesthetic treatments if there is a demand.
Mr Khaw clarified the MOH's position following media reports surrounding last week's crackdown on doctors who perform unproven procedures.
The MOH said that regulating the beauty industry is especially challenging as in many cases, scientific evidence is missing or inconclusive.
Furthermore, it added, taking a hard, regulatory approach will mean the prohibition of many procedures. This is not practical and it is not what MOH is advocating, stressed Mr Khaw.
The MOH's remarks came just a few days after it issued what amounted to a ban on certain procedures, such as fat-zapping mesotherapy, application of stem cells to revive the skin or the use of anti-ageing hormone and skin-whitening shots.
It said these have no scientific evidence and should not be practised at all, whether or not the operator has had training.
The MOH had also issued a stern warning that any doctor found doing these "unsubstantiated" procedures will be referred to the Singapore Medical Council for disciplinary review.
But now, that stand seems to have been changed.
"Because I'm not familiar with mesotherapy, I don't even know what it is. So let's leave it to the professions to sort it out," said Mr Khaw.
"The human urge to do this kind of things are plentiful. So who are we to say, stop it? We can't do that," he added.
But what the MOH will do is that it will regulate on high-risk, highly-invasive procedures.
Mr Khaw said his Ministry is working out guidelines which will stipulate who can perform what treatments.
He declined to indicate when the guidelines will be published.
The Academy of Medicine and the College of Family Physicians are also formulating principles to govern the ethical practice of all procedures.
But the question remains -- can doctors carry on in the meantime?
"Doctors are supposed to do what they think appropriate, taking into account possible benefits, and then possible risks. So that's a decision which doctors have to make all the time. Because if they fail to do that, they could be subject to investigation," said Mr Khaw.
Mr Khaw also said that consumers should know what they are getting into before taking the beauty plunge. - CNA/ir
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